HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Aaron Reutzel dominated the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions race at Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday night, picking up his 15th series victory of the season.
The Clute, Texas, driver and series point leader started on the pole and drove away from fellow front row starter Dale Blaney immediately in his Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87.
Only two cautions interrupted Reutzel’s march to victory lane. Cautions came out on lap six and 20, respectively, for Lance Dewease and Paul McMahan each having tire troubles.
Reutzel masterfully navigated through traffic, as Blaney, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer and Gio Scelzi battled each other throughout the top five.
Dietrich solidified his place in second while chasing Reutzel, and then Brian Brown worked his way into fifth past Scelzi in the closing laps. But Reuzel wasn’t going to be denied his second win in three nights.
“Yeah, it was a phenomenal race car,” Reutzel explained. “That’s for sure. I felt like I could go anywhere, and when you got a car that good, you just kind of just sit around and set your own pace and save your stuff which is really a big deal in racing today having a tire out here at the end. Our car has been so good here in the last month, and that’s what we’ve been good at is saving our equipment for the last 10 laps.”
Dietrich held onto finish second while, Rahmer, Dale Blaney and Brown completed the top five.
Dietrich set quick time with a lap time of 16.588 seconds over the 31 entries for the ASCoC portion of the show.
The last time the ASCoC raced at Hagerstown was on July 28, 1983 and the winner that night was Dave Blaney. Blaney was back in competition 36 years later.
In IMCA RaceSaver competition, Drew Ritchey battled Ken Duke, Jr early for several laps before Duke spun going into turn one on lap 14.
Ritchey then had to contend with Ryan Lynn over the remaining laps, but was able to hold on for his first career win at Hagerstown and his seventh win overall in 2019.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. Aaron Reutzel, 2. Danny Dietrich, 3. Freddie Rahmer, 4. Dale Blaney, 5. Brian Brown, 6. Gio Scelzi, 7. Mike Wagner, 8. Anthony Macri, 9. Cory Eliason, 10. Dylan Cisney, 11. Brock Zearfoss, 12. Logan Wagner, 13. Dave Blaney, 14. James McFadden, 15. Christopher Bell, 16. Kerry Madsen, 17. Justin Peck, 18. Trey Starks, 19. Skylar Gee, 20. Paul McMahan, 21. Gerard McIntyre, 22. Bradley Howard, 23. George Hobaugh, 24. Anthony Fiore, 25. Lance Dewease